Liquid Penetrant Testing

Liquid Penetrant Testing

Overview of Liquid Penetrant Testing (PT):
What is PT?
How is PT Performed?
PT Processes
Advantages/Disadvantages
Safety Precautions
Certification Requirements
Definition:
An NDT method that is used to reveal surface breaking flaws
through bleed out of a colored or fluorescent dye from the flaw.
One of the oldest and most widely used NDT methods
Can be used on metals and nonmetals, including glass, rubber,
plastics, ceramics, etc.
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
PT provides a means of:
Obtaining a visual image of a discontinuity on the surface of
the specimen under examination
Disclosing the nature of the discontinuity without impairing
the material (presence of cracks, porosity, etc.)
Separating acceptable and unacceptable parts in accordance
with predetermined standards (the standards are included as
acceptance criteria within a test procedure)
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
Types of Indications
False indications due to inadequate removal of penetrant
during rinse process or contamination from work area or
hands MUST RETEST
Nonrelevant indications caused by actual surface
discontinuities that are present by design (raised lettering to
identify part, etc.)
Relevant indications true, unintended, discontinuities that
must be interpreted and evaluated
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
How Does PT Work?
Based upon capillarity or capillary action
The tendency of liquids to penetrate or migrate into small
openings, such as cracks, pits, or fissures
Capillarity depends on forces of cohesion, adhesion, surface
tension, and viscosity
Cohesion holds like molecules together
permits water to rise in a straw
Adhesion causes two different substances to join
permits water to spread out over glass
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
More Definitions
Surface tension enables a liquid surface to behave like a thin
elastic membrane
why small bugs can stand on water
why water droplets are spherical
Viscosity resistance of a substance to flow
honey is very viscous, alcohol is not
Liquid penetrants tend to have low surface tension (do not
bead up) and high capillarity
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
History of PT
Used on glazed pottery to check for cracks
Railroad industry
oil and whiting method
Later largely replaced by magnetic particle inspection
Magnaflux in Chicago and Switzer in Cleveland performed
early research in PT
Magnaflux introduced Zyglo in 1942 first use of
fluorescent dyes
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
Steps for Performing a PT
1) Surface Preparation
Surface must be free of paint, oil, grease, water, or other
contaminants
May require etching
2) Penetrant Application
Can be done by spraying, brushing, or immersion in a
penetrant bath (dip)
Penetrant must be allowed to dwell for a minimum time
period
Dwell time gives penetrant time to be drawn into a
discontinuity
Time specified by penetrant manufacturer or
procedure
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
Steps for Performing a PT Continued
3) Excess Penetrant Removal
Penetrant to be removed from the surface of the part
without removing penetrant from discontinuities
4) Developer Application
Developer acts as a blotter to draw the penetrant back to
the surface of the part so it can be seen
Either a dry powder, dip, or spray
Also given time to process (usually a minimum of 10
minutes)
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
Steps for Performing a PT Continued
5) Inspection
Part is visually inspected under appropriate lighting to
detect indications of flaws
6) Final Surface Cleaning
Required to remove developer and penetrant from the
part
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
Categorization of PT Processes
Categorized by type of dye they contain
Type 1 fluorescent
Type 2 visible
Can also be dual sensitivity
Classified by method for removal of excess penetrant
Method A water-washable
Method B post-emulsified, lipophilic (likes oil)
Method C solvent-removable
Method D post-emulsified, hydrophilic (likes water)
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
Categorization of PT Processes Continued
Finally classified on sensitivity of the penetrant
Level - Ultra Low
Level 1 Low
Level 2 Medium
Level 3 High
Level 4 Ultra High
Sensitivity the smallest defect that can be detected with a high
degree of reliability
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
Process Selection
Depends on sensitivity required (how small are the
suspected cracks?)
Number of articles to be tested (can products be dipped?)
Surface condition of the part (rough or smooth)
Configuration of test specimen (overhead?)
Specific test conditions (availability of water, compressed air,
etc.)
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
Equipment/Materials
Pre-Cleaning/Post-Cleaning
Pre-cleaning needed for effective PT (part must be dry)
Post-cleaning needed to avoid detrimental effect on part
when placed in service
Rust, scale, or paint may need to be removed, or etching
performed
Avoid using wire brushes or metal scrapers they may
cover up discontinuities by smearing metal, thus requiring
need for etching
Stationary vs. Portable Test Equipment
Black Light - Uses filter that passes only certain wavelengths
of light that activate the fluorescent material (and block
harmful UV radiation)
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
Advantages of PT as an NDT Method
High sensitivity to small surface discontinuities
Few material limitations
Large areas and large volumes of parts can be inspected
rapidly and at low cost
Can inspect parts with complex geometric shapes
Indications produced directly on surface of part for visual
representation of flaw
Portable method
Relatively inexpensive
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
Disadvantages of PT as an NDT Method
Can only detect discontinuities that are open to the surface
Can only inspect parts with nonporous surfaces
Must pre-clean/post-clean parts
Inspector must have direct access to the part surface
Time-consuming
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
Benefits of PT Over VT
Defects are easier to see because flaw indication much larger
than flaw itself
Threshold of human visual acuity is ~0.00349 from a
distance of 12 (for a person with 20/20 vision)
Produces a flaw indication with a high contrast
High contrast means the flaws are more readily visible
against the background due to colored or fluorescent dye
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
Lighting Requirements
Visible penetrant
Can use natural or artificial light (white light if possible)
100 foot candles at surface of part
Fluorescent penetrant
Usually specifies a UV light intensity of 1000 W/cm2 at
15 from filter face
White light must be less than 2 fc at surface
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
Probability of Detection
Abbreviated P.O.D.
Curves available that indicate POD for specific test
methods vs. size of discontinuity (such as crack length)
PT better at detecting:
Small round defects than small linear defects
Deeper flaws than shallow flaws
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
Safety Precautions
Flammability
Use exhaust fans to disperse vapors
Ignition sources must be avoided
Skin Irritation
Wear gloves to protect hands
Wear safety glasses to protect eyes from splashing
UV Light
Lamps get hot be cautious!
Report missing or cracked filter on lamps
UV rays can cause sunburn and eye damage if filters
not used or not functional
 Liquid Penetrant Testing
Certification Requirements
Per ASNT Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A, 2011
edition:

High School Two Years of

Certification Level Graduate or Engineering or
Equivalent (hrs) Technical School OJT
(hrs) (hours)
I 4 4 70
II 8 4 140
Totals: 12 8 210